Skip to main content

Survival of the felines: 10 reasons why Grumpy Cat has lasted so long (and her 15 minutes are up)

grumpy cat
Image used with permission by copyright holder
The Internet is flummoxed by a cat diagnosed with dwarfism and an adorable overbite. She’s appeared on talk shows, authored a book that landed on the New York Times bestseller list, and even starred in a Lifetime movie.

Grumpy Cat’s (real name, Tardar Sauce) longevity is remarkable. Especially when you consider that other memes usually spoil after a few days. But everything on the Internet has an expiration date, and Grumpy Cat’s 15 minutes of fame are beginning to wear thin. (Take a look at the searches for Grumpy Cat.)

Full disclosure: I love Grumpy. I bought her Christmas cards, I checked out Grumpy’s books from the library, and shared Grumpy’s many memes on Facebook. But her inevitable decline (it has to end at some point, right?) raises an interesting question – what’s the shelf-life for viral (or, as Grumpy Cat would put it, awful) Internet content? And when does a funny joke just seem like a ploy to make money? Two years is eons for the Internet. Grumpy Cat is still hilarious, but it also seems a little mundane now.

We take a look at all the ways Grumpy Cat has survived two full years (that’s like ten cat years) as the darling of the Web (i.e., making more money than DiCaprio) and how it’s starting to get a little tiresome – even for the most loyal Grumpy followers.

1. We’ve all seen Grumpy memes

Grumpy Cat meme
Image used with permission by copyright holder

When a British news site reported Grumpy Cat has netted over 100 million, the Internet when bonkers. Grumpy’s owner dismissed those figures, stating that it was “completely inaccurate.”

2. They’re all hilarious but they’re all nearly identical

Grumpy Cat Meme 2
Image used with permission by copyright holder

It’s a hilarious party trick. But after a few memes, they all start looking the same.

3. The movie for Lifetime is awesome, but it’s nearly identical to other Lifetime movies – except it stars Grumpy

If a movie is made to be awful, does that make it good? Grumpy Cat’s voice is Audrey Plaza.

4. Grumpy appears on the set of  WWE, seems kinda pissed

Grumpy sums up how most of us feel about WWE.

5. But does the exact same thing in Austin

Grumpy Cat at SXSW
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Grumpy was the darling of Austin during 2013’s South by Southwest (SXSW). The festival also featured keynote presentations by Elon Musk and Al Gore – but the longest lines were for Grumpy.

6. Obama parody is also awesome, but we’ve all done it

Grumpy Cat Obama T-shirt
Image used with permission by copyright holder

A good gift for that cat lover in your family who also hates everyone.

7. Grumpy’s entourage is awesome, but they’re cats.

Grumpy Cat has plenty of friends. She even agreed to appear in her pal Lil Bub’s movie that debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival. Also, check out these videos of Grumpy hanging out with her brother, Pokey.

8. Seriously?

Grumpy on cover of NY MAGMade the cover of New York Magazine business issue. If I didn’t know better I’d say Grumpy looks a little grumpier in this one.

9. Grumpy’s ice coffee is probably fun to drink once

Grumpy Cat CoffeeGrumpy Cat is trademarked and her website sells ice coffee, t-shirts, and Christmas cards. Grumpy’s  manager, Ben Lashes, also manages Keyboard Cat and Nyan Cat.

10.  Grumpy Cat’s second book is plenty grumpy for me

Grumpy Cat Book
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Grumpy has authored two books. They’re both funny, but we’ve had enough.

Editors' Recommendations

Joe Donovan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Joe Donovan is an editorial assistant for Digital Trends who covers a variety of general assignments throughout the…
How to pin a website to the taskbar in Windows
A man sits, using a laptop running the Windows 11 operating system.

Windows includes many interesting tools, but if you’re like many people, more and more of your digital life is happening in your web browser and nowhere else. That being the case, you’ll want to keep your most important websites close at hand. The easiest way to access them in Windows is the Start menu and the taskbar, treating them more or less like programs in and of themselves.

Although easy overall, getting a website from your browser to your taskbar is slightly different depending on which browser you’re using.

Read more
Amazon’s Big Spring sale: Save on TVs, laptops, appliances, and more
Amazon Big Spring sale promo image

Deal hunter or not, you'll be pleased to know that Amazon's Big Spring sale is officially underway. It's your opportunity to save on a slew of buzzworthy deals, including TVs, laptops, appliances, various electronics, and much more. It shows that you don't always have to wait for Amazon's Prime Day to capitalize on fantastic discounts. If you've been holding off on buying something, hoping for a great deal, now's the time to pull the trigger. Because the sale is so massive, we've gathered a few of our top picks below. However, we still recommend browsing the sale to see what you can find.

 
What to shop in the Amazon Big Spring sale
For starters, if you want a new tablet, Samsung, Lenovo, and Google during the sale. The Galaxy Tab A9+ is available for 19% to 23% off. Meanwhile, Google's Pixel Tablet is 19% to 25% off, depending on the model. Samsung's , and its gaming monitor is down to $140, usually $190. Or, the beautiful and much larger curved gaming monitor is $700, normally $1,300.

Read more
How to create a Subreddit on desktop and mobile
Laptop Working from Home

Few social media sites are as popular as Reddit. Regardless of what you're interested in, there's probably a thriving community for you to interact with on the platform. Known as subreddits, these communities are home to topics like gaming, world news, science, movies, and more. If you can't find a subreddit with your particular interest, Reddit makes it easy to create your own Reddit community.

Running a successful Reddit community isn't easy – but the process of starting one only takes a few minutes. Keep in mind that you'll want to keep a close eye on your subreddit to prevent it from being shut down or turning into a wasteland with no users, but running a subreddit can be a lot of fun when done properly. If you prefer, you can also create a private community that only your friends can join, giving you a place to hang out beyond Twitter and TikTok.

Read more